Dana
by athrowaway
Summary: Dean doesn't like dogs.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - I _suggest_ you read my profile description before you read this fic.

Also, there are time skips between some chapters so if you're ever confused when starting a new chapter, it's probably that.

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"So… what the fuck do we do?" Dean's brows were raised high as he looked at his brother.

"Vampires, vicious ghosts, I'm fine with that. But I'm not shooting a dog." Dean shook his head quickly. "Not getting attacked by one either." The growling was more vicious than any ghost they'd ever ganked. Hell, both of the goddamn mutts looked more dangerous than any demon. And they were presenting their dangerous nature quite well. Nipping at one another's necks, growling louder than the engines of the car the hunters were in. "Hol- … **shit**." Dean put a fist in front of his gaping mouth as the concrete turned red. The smaller dog's head shook, teeth latched onto the other's neck. "I think Goliath there is done…." Dean mumbled, his brother still silently staring at the spectacle. The bigger dog, the _far_ bigger dog was a yellowish white colour, back ears, and mask, floppy ears. The smaller one, the winner of the brawl had big pointy ears, its coat a reddish brown, a black mask on its face, black legs. Although it was smaller than the other dog, it was still larger than most dogs should be. It resembled a german shepherd, a long snout, stature of a working breed.

"I still don't wanna get out there." Sam muttered, letting out a small huff. Perhaps its glaring yellow and orange eyes were what triggered his distrust. The dog on the ground, fur stained by its own blood had stopped breathing, and the brown dog let go of its neck. There was a nice, expensive looking collar around the bigger dog's neck, that somehow outlived the vicious attack.

It had happened out of nowhere, out of a yard the two dogs had run onto the road in front of the impala. The house the yard belonged to was their destination, an interview for possible suspects the hunters' goal. The smaller dog had been chased by the white giant, jumped and wounded on the leg. The two hunters saw it more clearly now that the fight was over, the dog was now calm, it walked the opposite direction it had come from. Or rather hobbled towards the forest right on the other side of the road.

"You think it needs help?" Sam frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side as the two watched it leave. They had seen worse things, had seen humans do worse things, and never had the time to get involved, but animals were a different thing.

"Not with killing." Dean snorted, eyes following the dog as well.

Before Dean could say what he meant to - no - he heard the passenger side door open, and his brother step out. He meant for his eyes to leave the dog, but the dog's reaction to Sam stopped him. It's head turned, and all other movement stopped. It lifted its head, letting out one hell of a half-assed bark, mouth barely opening upper lip blowing out slightly as it did.

"It's okay." Sam said in a calming voice, as if the dog was pointing a damn gun at him out of fear. Another, quiet, and more gentle bark.

Dean got out of the car as well, keeping the door open like his brother had, in case they needed to retreat if the dog decided to go for them as well.

"Sammy, I don't think this is a good idea." Dean didn't take his eyes off the dog, as he talked to his brother over the car.

"We're just gonna walk over there, and you can just… go over there." Sam pointed to the house first, and then the forest as he spoke to the dog gently.

Dean's eyes narrowed as the dog's ears moved, turning forward ever so slightly at the first 'over there' coming from Sam.

One paw moved, the left, and the other followed, the dog's body turning towards them, but not a step forward was taken.

"Sam…" Dean said warning, just about ready to jump back into the Impala and slam the door.

"It's fine." Sam responded. Both of the brothers were tense, and Dean watched Sam take small careful steps, sideways, never turning away from the dog, towards the yard, and house.

"This isn't fair I gotta get closer to that thing." Dean groaned, finally looking at his brother. He had to walk around the car, forward, to the right, to join his brother, forward meant closer, and he didn't like that idea.

"It's calm, it's fine." Sam rolled his eyes. Dean couldn't believe his own eyes when his brother turned, and walked towards the house like there wasn't a dog with teeth like a shark staring at the two of them. His side was now turned to the dog, soon his back as he got closer to the house. Dean looked back at the dog eyes narrowing. "Watching you." he muttered as he followed his brother, less careless than the younger was.

The dog merely stood still, turning, staring, but never moving from its spot. Sam waited for Dean at the gate to the yard, closing it after Dean was inside.

"Told you." Sam smirked as he walked up the short stone path to the door of the house. "Oh shut up, that thing could still rip your arm off, just gotta jump over the fence." Immediately after Dean finished his sentence, one foot on the first stair of the porch, they heard a bark. This time Loud. Sam couldn't stop his hand from knocking on the door before he heard it.

Both brother turned to look over the large hedges at the road. The gap the short metal gate of the yard provided gave them view of the dog. Sprinting right at them. "Shit." Dean yelled and looked around. There was nowhere to go, no place to get up to in order to get out of the dog's reach. Dean's mouth fell open as the dog leaped, and easily flew over the gate. "Shit!" Dean pulled the gun out from inside his jacket and pushed Sam aside a little. He was ready to pull the trigger when he realised the dog wasn't aiming for him, nor Sam, but between them. It flew up the shallow stairs the way it flew over the gate. Dean cringed at the sound of the dog's claws on the concrete porch, his nose crinkling, eyes closing. When he opened them the dog simply sat right there, between the two Winchesters, back right at the door.

"Guard dog…?" Dean's eyes widened.

"It's not wearing a collar though." Sam mumbled, it was odd, the sudden calm the dog possessed neck craned to look up at the two, head moving left to right to look at them. Dean almost thought it was shaking its head.

Dean looked at his brother, and grinned for a moment before looking back at the dog. "Hey buddy, speak." Dean nodded his head once, as he spoke the common command. The dog barked, and began panting, long tongue hanging out the side of it's gaping maw, body moving with each pant.

"Good boy." Dean resisted the urge to pet the dog on the head.

"I can't believe this." Sam shook his head, resisting an urge as well, to roll his eyes.

"You think it'll go for us if we knock?" the older turned his head slightly to look at his brother from the corner of his eyes.

"Do you still have leftover pie in the car?" Sam slowly smirked.

"Ah… gotcha." Dean sighed in defeat after some hesitation, and a judging look directed at Sam.

"You'll like pie more than dog." Dean looked at the dog before turning, and heading down the five steps of the porch. Sam noticed the dog following with a wagging tail.

Sam chuckled as he heard Dean talk to the dog as they walked side by side behind his back. "You got quite a voice onya', buddy."

Sam knocked on the door once more as Dean closed the passenger side door, and got into the driver's side. For a moment he forgot about the dog, that was until he felt a hot breath on his jaw and neck, and heard the panting of the dog. "Hey!" Instinctively, without looking Dean pushed the dog's snout away from him. For a moment, he panicked, thinking he had aggravated the dog. But it simply sat down right by his side on the concrete. "You really are a good boy." He chuckled looking at the dog. Now that he had touched it, in such a manner at that, he wondered… if he could pet it.

Instead of reaching for the pie in the glove department, he reached to the opposite side, resting his hand on the dog's head for just a moment, to test the waters. No reaction whatsoever, just the same panting. Dean thought it almost looked like it was smiling when it did that. He moved his hand back its head a little, lifted it, placed it, moved it. He noticed how big the dog's head really was, he knew his hand was large, but he barely touched the dog's ears as he pet it. And its pointed ears were set fairly close on it's head.

"Are you a German Shepherd? Do you speak German?" Dean laughed at himself for a moment, before he decided feeding the dog the pie wasn't necessary to distract it from Sam entering the house.

The dog barked at his questions, two questions, two barks. Dean chuckled once more. "English too, I see." he smiled, retreating his hand finally.

Dean still saw that beige spot in the corner of his eyes, in the middle of the road. He wondered what drove this, now, kind being to killing another. It was suspicious, and remained on the back of his mind.

"You got a name?" Dean leaned back in his seat hands on his lap as he looked at the large dog.

The dog's panting stopped when it tilted its head, though it was almost as if its expression was less one of confusion than judgement.

"Don't wanna talk about it, I see. Someone call you 'cupcake'?" Dean smirked, his hand returning to the dog's head, this time rubbing its head a little roughly. This dog was cool, dogs were cool in general, but this one was scary cool. At least Dean thought so.

Suddenly as Dean continued rubbing, and grinning at the dog's pleased face, the dog lost just that face, head moving back, away from his reach. Looking towards the house for a moment, the dog took off running without any warning. A startled Dean got out of the car to see the door of the house left wide open, and not long after, the dog sprint right through and inside. "Shit!" Again, the curse left Dean's mouth as he jumped out of the car, slamming the door shut and reaching for his gun as he ran for the house.

"Sam!" Dean yelled as he heard noise, thumping upstairs. It was familiar, Sam was struggling, against something. Dean heard the dog bark upstairs, loudly, though less vicious than when he'd first heard it. Still loud and threatening, and it wouldn't stop as he bolted up the stairs. Before he rounded the corner, to head to the room the noise came from, his stomach dropped at what he heard. The deep, corner of the mouth growl of a dog attacking, tearing at something. "Help!" A voice screamed in agony, but it wasn't Sam's. Dean rounded the corner, gun pointing wherever he was looking, as he searched for a target. An old, scruffy man was on the floor, his ankle surrounded by pearl white teeth perfectly shown by the growling dog. Dean saw Sam immediately, knocked into a closet, doors broken by the impact of Sam's large body. Dean caught on quickly. "Down!" he yelled, gun aimed at the man. The dog whined as it let go, but stayed hovering over the man. The hair he had left on his head was thin, cut short and close to his head, perfect white, his beard unkempt and darker, grey, yellow in some parts.

Dean heard Sam get up with a groan, and take his place beside Dean.

"He's not human." Sam said simply and Dean's eyes narrowed further, gun still trained on the guy looking from one hunter to the other.

"I don't know what you're talking about, son." The man replied, huffing.

"That thing killed my brother!" he pointed at the dog which only growled threateningly in response.

"He's a skinwalker." Sam said accusingly, and Dean's stomach dropped at the thought.

"What about this one." Dean pointed his gun at the dog for a mere second. It had done neither of the hunters harm, in fact it just saved Sam's ass.

"She's one too." The man on the ground nodded quickly, still looking from one brother to the other, clearly afraid of both of them.

"Doesn't know how to turn into a human anymore." he spilled after Dean took a threatening step forward. Dean didn't even have any silver bullets on him, that was his predicament, he was bluffing. Either the guy did think his gun was loaded with the only thing to kill him, or just scared shitless of a normal bullet, immortal to him.

"You're not human." Dean spat. This house was supposed to be of a relative, an uncle of a victim.

"Your nephew, 's he one too?" Sam frowned.

"All of us, the whole family, of blood and other. And they'll come for you." he spat.

This was different. This was entirely different, neither of the brothers knew if they killed anyone innocent. All victims were of their own kind…. This was not a usual case.

Dean should've known the dog by his side was one too. The hobbling of a wounded leg turning into a full sprint for them? He should've realised that it was a clear clue.

"The dog, outside." It was all Sam had to say for the man to nod. "Your brother?" Dean questioned, brows furrowing further into a scowl. Another nod.

"Get up." Dean commanded, and as the man got to his feet, he noticed him lift one, the one bitten, or rather chewed up, in order not to put pressure on it.

"I thought ripping your heart out, silver bullet, that was what ganked you, not a chewed up windpipe." Dean growled, not buying it.

"Skinwalkers kill other skinwalkers, darwinism." Sam mumbled in realisation.

The man nodded, again looking from one brother to the other and back.

Dean was hesitant, and not entirely confident in his idea, but, he smirked at Sam for a moment before he looked back at the man. Eyes vicious, stare evil. "Hey, buddy, _bite_." Dean's grin widened immediately as the dog did as he was told. The man's arm was immediately grasped in a large jaw, and a deathly grip.

"Bitch." the guy fell back to the ground with the force of the dog's jump and weight. Dean winced as the man's fist connected with the dog's skull, but as he pulled back his arm was let go of and the dog latched onto his neck. Dean and Sam both had to look away from the struggle. Dean regret his decision, knowing he would have to kill the dog… the skinwalker after this, as well. There were deaths of the innocent in the far past, but neither of the brother's connected them, most of them were chewed up, torn apart messes, but in this area there were bears, and other dangerous wild animals. All reports of those deaths were connected to one or another wild animal and showed accuracy. Dean had made the connection, now as they knew their monster's title.

Dean heard the noise again, the growling of a full mouth, and the shaking of the head, the ragged breathing of the man going from erratic to barely there. He turned around, the shabby wooden planks now soaked in the man's blood, just like the dog's fur, around it's mouth, neck, ears. Everything was now a true red, instead of an odd shade brown and black.

"Dean." Sam said gently as soon as Dean aimed his gun for the dog's head.

"He saved my life, I don't think it's evil." Dean listened, he wanted to, but all he could pay attention to was the dog's deep stare at him. He didn't know what it was trying to do, it certainly wasn't trying to look innocent or plead, wasn't trying to look threatening either. It simply waited for him to do something.

Dean jerked slightly, when Sam's hand was softly placed on the crook of his arm. He lowered his gun reluctantly, pulling the safety.

Again, Dean doubted his chances, his sanity now too, but he spoke anyway. "You the only one left?" he asked the dog.

Nothing, it simply continued staring. Sam chuckled slightly, "Bark once for yes, twice for no." he said bemused, as if going along with a joke Dean had told. Though Dean's face remained stoic, and serious as he waited.

The bark echoed slightly from the stone walls of the room, both brothers waited for a second one, but there was none.

Dean's face fell slightly. The only one could create more… and the idea that this one was the only one left, alone, saddened him a little.

"Alright let's get out of here." Without a beat Dean turned to leave. Sam lingered a little more, looking at the dog almost apologetically before following his brother outside.

"Let's hope that one stays a dog too." Dean commented as he simply stepped over the dead dog on the road. Sam noticed, he noticed how Dean had earlier made sure to stay away from the dog earlier, make a big curve around it, and now derogatively stepped over it.

When the younger sat down into the car, now facing the house, he saw the dog sit in the open gate of the yard, still staring.

"It saved my life, Dean." Sam felt the resentment of the older, the urge to go for that one as well, he knew his brother too well. It would be a guilt on his mind forever, the idea that this one skinwalker could go on to create more and kill more. But something told Sam it wouldn't.

"I got it, Sam." Dean growled as he started the car.

"Go ahead then, kill her if it bothers you so much." Sam challenged his brother, but regret his words immediately as he saw Dean nod, jaw clenched, and reach for the door. Before the younger could say a word, Dean got out of the car. Sam looked ahead, and saw the dog run towards them, not sprint, but run, as if glad Dean got out of the car. Sam followed his brother's example, getting out of the car quickly. Not wanting the dog to run towards its own death so happily.

"Go, run." Sam whispered as the dog was near the car. It slowed down quickly, looking at him as if hurt. "Go away, shoo." he moved his arms as if pushing her away.

He heard Dean rummage through the trunk of the Impala behind him, hopefully not seeing the dog now standing right in front of the car.

"Go or he's going to kill you." he said firmly, knowing there was an almost human mind in there somewhere. Sam frowned in frustration as the dog sat down immediately as he said that.

"I'll kick you." he said threateningly, by now almost joining Dean's perspective.

Sam was almost hopeful when the dog moved it's forelegs, but it was merely to lie down completely. Sam frowned as he stared at the dog and it's now blood soaked fur. It was… their best option. It was their job. "Alright where is it." Sam heard Dean speak as he walked around the car, he also heard the sound of a gun being prepared, locked and loaded.

Sam had to think fast, or make up his mind, deal with his own doubts and agree with his brother on this. "Wait." Sam said quickly turning to his brother who was holding the gun, arm bent, barrel pointed at the sky for now, however if he so much as stretched his arm it would be pointed at the dog laying at Sam's feet.

"We could… keep it?" Sam gave Dean an innocent look, he knew the answer to that one, but still hoped.

"And what exactly do you plan on doing then? Keep it locked in a vault every night, sleep with a gun in your damn hand, Sam?!" Dean argued loudly.

"Leashes exist for a reason. Besides you saw what it did back there, just because you told it to. It might be helpful more than anything." Sam didn't hesitate to argue in return, realising he had more points than his brother.

"Oh and you go on a kibble run every week? Go for a walk every morning at four am? Dogs are a responsibility Sam." Dean mocked his brother, rolling his eyes before he returned his expression to serious at his last words.

"But she's not a dog, Dean." Sam let out a breathy, incredulous laugh as he spoke.

"Exactly, even worse. You're ready to keep a murderer as a pet?" Dean hissed at his brother.

Both of them had almost forgotten about the fact that the 'dog' was still lying at their feet. Though Sam quickly remembered, looking down he saw it had rested its head upon its large paw. It still looked up at them, having quite some trouble doing that without lifting its head.

"I don't know what to tell you Dean… I just know that that's not a murderer." Sam mumbled looking down at the dog. "What are our options, then, killing her, leaving her here to do god knows what. Or do you really want to give her to the next shelter to be adopted and possibly get that family killed? This is our best options, if she tries anything, go ahead and kill her. But I'm not killing someone whose innocence we aren't sure of." Sam finally regained his will to argue, and he was ready to throw more at his brother until he saw his expression. He almost smiled, he knew that one, the pursed lips, brows furrowed, and narrowed eyes look. The look of Dean knowing Sam was right.

"Get up." Dean nodded his head upwards, once, as he looked down at the dog. It hesitated, but got up to its four feet. Sam smiled, a skinwalker that magically lost the ability to turn was a dog, and he was okay with that.

Dean glared at Sam as he walked around the car, and to Sam's surprise open the door to the backseat. "In." Dean said simply, as he put away his gun.

Sam kept the smile as he watched the dog jump into the backseat, and sit down in the middle. "Interesting how it listens to me and not you." Dean commented making his way to the driver's seat. "Run, shoo." he mocked the younger waving his arms around before he got into the car. Sam didn't mind, he kept the smile as the engine began purring and he shut the door on his own side.

"You think we should put a seatbelt on her?" Sam frowned slightly as Dean began driving.

"Let it fly through the damn windshield for all I care, you're feeding it, walking it, and all the other shit dogs need. Your idea, your job." Dean grumbled focusing on the road as he drove around the dog laying on the road.


	2. Chapter 2

"Maybe it thinks you're the leader of this pack…." Sam mumbled quietly, looking back at the car the dog was left in until they got their room. "Oh we're back to 'it' now, huh?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Well… I mean, there's no way to find out her name, really." Sam shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"I don't think so. The stronger a skinwalker, the higher they are in rank, man. This bitch, literally, by the way, seems pretty damn strong to me." Sam couldn't help but give an unimpressed look at Dean's comment.

"Maybe she just knows I'll kill her if she comes anywhere near you or me." Dean pointed a finger to the right, in front of his brother's chest, as if to prove a point.

"What's your theory, by the way, on why… she killed those other skinwalkers…." Sam mumbled, trying to get his brother on less of a derogatory track.

"Maybe they were weak links in the pack, needed to be taken out. Save some food, y'know fresh human hearts aren't something you share." Dean muttered.

"I get it, monsters are monsters, but who knows, she was once human. Maybe she doesn't know how to turn because she's... new." Sam shrugged. Sam was very aware she could bite either of them, and turn them into what she was, or worse, kill them in the middle of the night. He didn't let his guard down, he didn't truly trust that dog, but he was willing to give her a chance. He firmly believed she was trying to show them she was not evil like the others they had encountered. However, on the other hand this could all be a big scheme; To fool them into trusting her, only for her to attack them.

Dean went through the usual routine, flirting with the receptionist, though one thing was different. Dean got them one room, two beds, but them sharing one room was rare, at least to sleep. After Sam gave him a confused look when he was tossed the room key, Dean chuckled. "What? You think either of us is going to be alone with that thing? By the way, there's a pet shop down the road, you should head down there before they close." Dean spoke harshly as he unlocked the car. Sam saw Dean's hand reach behind himself, to the waistband of his jeans, to his gun, when he opened the door to let the dog out of the car.

The dog stood beside them, a little farther away than necessary, Sam noted, as they grabbed their bags from the trunk. Dean walked ahead, the dog following him, and Sam after. "Son of a-" Dean gasped as he felt something pull at his hand, nearly knocking him off balance, he instinctively reached for his gun. However, as he saw the dog run toward the motel, carrying his bag in its big mouth, he shook his head, jaw clenched. Sam laughed at Dean's reaction to the, fairly innocent act, and the dog having trouble keeping the bag up high enough and not stumbling over it. "Here. I'll go get _us_ some food." Sam handed Dean his bag before heading down the parking lot, to the right and down the road.

Dean shouldered the bag, and walked right up to the door the dog was sat in front of, without even checking the number on it. "I don't like dogs y'know and-" a muffled bark interrupted Dean fiddling his keys, he gave it a serious look. "Will you let me finish? I don't like dogs, and I think you can guess my opinion of discount werewolves, sweetheart." He muttered finally unlocking the door. Before he could, the dog ran inside. "Hey!" he yelled, doing his best to keep his voice down. "You stay off the beds and the couch, don't eat things we don't say you can eat. And if you pee anywhere I will do what I would've done if Sam didn't fall for your puppy eyes." Dean didn't look at the dog as he ranted, placing his bag on the bed, and beginning to unpack. He heard nothing from the dog, so, suspicious, he turned to look over his shoulder. The dog was sniffing every corner of every piece of furniture. Dean noticed it was… hesitant, it tried its best to keep its body as far away from everything, but still get close to it. Dean couldn't help himself, when it looked almost scared of the coffee table as it smelled it, he yelled 'boo!'. The dog jumped back from the table, yelping, before turning to growl at Dean. Though Dean didn't need to say anything for it to quit it, and go back to its business.

Dean laughed, shaking his head as he continued unpacking his bag. He didn't know why he felt fine with turning his back on the skinwalker, at least when he was alone. He was more worried about Sam getting hurt in this whole predicament.

"What are we gonna call you, buddy? Or are we gonna stick to buddy?" Dean chuckled, he didn't feel like he was talking to himself, or a wall, which he usually did when he talked to any kind of animal. "Once for buddy, twice for… something else." Dean turned to look at the dog, raising a finger, to signify the time to make that awful noise.

"I was hoping you would say that…." Dean mumbled as soon as he heard the second bark. Two, consecutive, quick barks, as the dog sat down in fron to him, wagging its tail.

"Juliet? Amanda?" Dean sat down on the bed, raising his brows at the dog's silence. "Fido?" he smirked at the dog, the wagging of the tail stopped, and it tilted its head.

"Alright, alright, normal name or… pooch name?" Dean questioned. "One for human, two for pooch… maybe three for weird?" Dean listed his hands a little, as if shrugging.

The tail began walking, as Dean assumed what was a rather large windpipe began making noise, once, twice, three times. "Great, that's gonna be easy to guess…." Dean sighed slightly. He had nothing else to do while he waited for Sam and some food.

"You sure 'cupcake' isn't it?" He grinned once more. There was a growl, short, and non-threatening, her mouth remained entirely still, it was low, as if annoyed or cursing him, causing Dean to chuckle.

"Sammy might be better at this." Dean mumbled as he pushed himself back onto the bed to lay on it. Grabbing the remote from the bedside table he turned on the television that was right behind the dog.

"Hey, am I your alpha?" Dean asked casually as he switched through the channels. A growl again, and he grinned quietly. "Don't threaten the alpha." Dean mocked as he shook his head.

Dean dozed off after a while, and so did the dog, sleeping right before the TV last Dean remembered. He didn't fall asleep before he had a gun loaded with silver bullets near him. When he woke up he heard a noise out of order for a hotel room, it caused him to shoot up in his bed, gun in hand. The noise ran through his ears once more, and he realised what kind of metallic sound it was. A chain.

"Mornin'." Sam smiled at Dean, sat at a table in front of his laptop, his dinner right beside him. Dean put down the gun immediately. He looked down at where the dog had lain earlier, at the foot of his bed, in front of the TV. "Where's the pooch…?" Dean narrowed his eyes looking around the room. "Outside." Sam pointed at the door of the room which was wide open. Dean groaned as he put his feet to the ground, sighing, he needed a moment to wake up completely.

"Why?" Dean ran a hand over his face to wake himself up before he rose from the bed. Dean walked over to Sam to take the bag Sam was holding up to him. "Well she… whined a little bit, at the TV…." Sam frowned a little nodding towards the television, though keeping his eyes on the screen of his laptop.

"What do you mean?" Dean frowned, biting into the burger he had pulled out of the bag, and unwrapped.

"I don't know, whenever a certain person was on the screen she whined until they were gone, so I turned it off." Sam shrugged before taking a sip of his coffee.

"What was on?" Dean raised his brows.

"X-Files." Sam snorted, as Dean slowly strolled through the door of the motel room to look to the right. The dog was chained to the door handle outside, the chain long, big, and hooked onto a black collar the dog now bore.

"You think that could hold her back? She'd rip the door right out of the frame, Sam." Dean looked at his brother, chewing on his burger.

"I thought it was more of a mental thing, y'know… show her we're in control here." Sam shrugged slightly Dean noticing even Sam knew that theory was far fetched.

"Sam, she's like a human, y'know, but a little crazy, and dangerous. Still smart like us though." Dean tapped one of his temples with his index finger before looking down at the dog. It looked pretty miserable, he had to admit. He pursed his lips for a moment before taking another bite. It was laying there, head on its paw, eyes open though on ground level, looking off to the distance.

"S' Your name Mulder?" Dean knelt down to look at the dog, arms resting on his knees.

He heard a low whine as if the dog was groaning.

"What? Fox?" Dean chuckled.

"What about Scully?" Dean heard Sam call from inside.

Dean raised his brows at the dog, waiting for a response. But got nothing.

"Dana?" Dean tilted his head, praying this dumb questioning would be over soon.

The dog's head lifted immediately, looking at Dean. Dean cringed slightly at the sound of the chain dragging on the concrete. "Dana, huh?" Dean nodded a little, before shoving the rest of the burger into his mouth and crunching up the paper.

"Nice name. Not weird though." He muttered as he rose back to his feet.

"Hey, Sammy, how do you take this off?" Dean leaned back slightly in order for Sam to be able to see him as he pointed at the chain.

"What?" Sam chuckled slightly, looking at his brother, grinning. Dean knew that look, the 'I knew you would' look.

"You know how to open two carabiners, Dean." Sam mused looking back at his laptop.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Dean whispered to himself as he removed the chain from the door, and then knelt down beside Dana to get it off her collar.

"At least we know you won't run away." Dean commented pleased, as the long, thick, chain rung in his hands as he carried it inside.

"D'you get food for the dog too?" Dean asked casually as he passed Sam.

"'Course." Sam nodded distractedly, eyes scanning the screen of his laptop, clearly reading something.

Dean grabbed another burger from the bag Sam had handed him after he stored the chain away in one of their bags and sat down on the bed. He didn't think as he looked around the room for where the dog was, but didn't find one. Something had made him believe it followed him right on his heels.

"You think she's hot as a human?" Dean chuckled as he chewed on his first, now cold bite.

Sam looked at his brother for a mere second before shaking his head, eyes back on his screen.

"Dana!" Dean called the dog casually, and smirked as it poked its head in the open door of the motel room and trotted over to him.

"Told you, listens to me." Dean wasn't even thinking as he pet the dog now sat by his feet.

"Dana." Sam said in the kind of excited voice most people used with dogs.

Dean scrunched up his nose as the dog trotted over to his brother, tail wagging.

Sam smirked as he rubbed his hand on the dog's head, pulling softly on one of its ears.

"Seems it's not just you." Sam grinned at his brother.

"Yeah alright alright…." Dean mumbled turning back on the television.

"You like your collar?" Sam smiled at the dog as he rubbed his hands all over its neck and head.

A short bark right in his fact wasn't the answer he wanted but the one he'd asked for. He waved a hand in his face to get rid of the dog breath in his face, chuckling.

"Can't brush your teeth like this, can you?" He grinned finally letting go of her completely.

"Did you buy a proper leash too? Not just a damn chain?" Dean quipped from the other end of the room.

"Many people have just a chain as a leash…" Sam shrugged. "And she's not exactly a normal dog…." he added, mumbling again as he looked at the dog sat by the small round table his laptop was on.

"Yeah, but making that obvious is not a smart move either." Dean commented with a shake of his head, his attention still on the television.

The deeper the night became, the shorter the brother's conversations got, exhaustion taking a hold of both of them, Dean dozed off first.

Sam spent another hour on his laptop, though he barely caught anything he read, his mind and eyes beyond his control at this point.

Rubbing his hand over his face he let out a small sigh, before looking around the room. Dana was sleeping soundly near the bathroom door, far away from either of the brothers.

Sam rose from the chair careful to be silent, walking over to the dog carefully.

"Dana…" he whispered as he bent down. The dog opened its eyes ever so slightly, looking up at him before closing them again. "C'mon, you'll have to sleep outside." he softly ran a hand over her head. She looked more tired than he was, which Sam found amusing as he watched the dog get up on its four legs, yawning.

"You think the chain is really necessary?" Sam felt slightly eerie, as the dog stood before his kneeling form, right on eye level. She could bite his face off any moment if she wanted to, and he even prepared himself for it, ready to defend himself. Sam watched as the dog simply made a round around him, towards the door of the motel room.

"Is that a no?" he mumbled amused looking over his shoulder at the dog waiting for him by the door.

"I have to, sorry buddy." Sam mumbled walking over to the closet. He did his best to keep the chain from making as much noise as he could prevent.

He opened the door and the dog stepped out before he could. This time he decided to tie the chain around a pillar of the cheap porches of the motel rooms. "C'mere." Sam motioned for Dana to come down the steps of the porch for him to connect the chain to her collar again.

"There you go." Sam rubbed a hand along the side of the dog's neck smiling gently.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." and with that he hopped up the stairs, and locked the motel room door behind himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam sighed as he closed the motel room door behind himself. The sky was beginning to turn blue, birds were barely singing. Sam could smell it had rained, the concrete still looking wet.

Sam yawned as he looked at the wooden pillar the chain was bound to, and followed it to the collar of the dog. The collar.

Just the collar was laying there on the concrete, chewed through and torn up. Sam cursed as he ran back inside the room to shake Dean awake. "What the fuck…" Dean mumbled turning over to look up at Sam groggily, brows furrowed. "Dana's gone." Sam said quickly, and Dean shot up nearly knocking heads with Sam.

"What do you mean gone?" Dean yelled at his brother.

"Gone like, gone, collar chewed up, no sign of her, gone." Sam fumbled with words for a moment, shaking his head.

"Get the gun, go get the gun." Dean reached under his own pillow to pull out his own gun and Sam reached for his bag.

"Let the sucker stay with you and this is what you get." Dean hissed pulling the safety on his gun.

The two of them moved their things into the impala quickly. "Where do you think she'd go?" Dean hissed as he loaded his duffel into the trunk. "I don't know… maybe we should ask around?" Sam suggested.

"What if she jumped town?" Dean sighed. He could see his own breath, it was cold, this was the farthest up North they'd been in a while.

"I don't know…." Sam muttered quietly, doubting Dean had heard him as the older took his place inside the car.

"You think she'd come if I whistle?" Dean joked bitterly.

"Worth a try." Sam answered honestly.


	4. Chapter 4

Alright so, this, and the previous really short chapter deserve an explanation. I didn't know _what_ to write to get to this point, to _this_ chapter. They run into a monster? Something like that. I just wanted to get to this damn scene. 

* * *

Dean let out a groan, his head spinning as he did his best to open his eyes. Something in his hand was wet, the assumption that it was blood was made quickly, but lost once it moved. He heard a whine, familiar and soothing. It was a tongue licking the palm of his hand, and a snout pushing it up.

"Thanks, bud." Dean mumbled as he moved his hand to run it over her head. He couldn't even do so much as sit up. The root of a tree was doing its best to stab him in the back, but he didn't care. He just wanted to lie there, sleep, snow falling around him.

That was until he heard a low growl, he panicked as he felt a force push into his chest. His chest was relieved quickly however, when the dog pulled at his jacket, forcing his upper body off the ground. Dean shivered, the cold and loss of blood had taken all his strength.

"Listen, buddy. You gotta find Sam, not drag me to him." Dean stuttered in the cold. He huffed when he was let go off, his body hitting the ground roughly, once more. Everything was a deep shade of blue, the faint moonlight reflecting off everything covered by snow.

Dean saw from the corner of his eyes as the dog merely stood there, staring. Dean's eyes closed again, the cold by now inviting. He could barely hear the howl sounding right by his side, though it was loud, loud enough to travel throughout the entire forest.

He heard her paws sink into the snow, squishing it loudly, faster, and faster as it grew more distant.

It felt like merely a minute before he heard a horrifying sound in the distance, terrifying even for Dean Winchester. The sound of a dying animal, something being dragged, right in his direction. Dean's hands fumbled for the lighter on the inside of his jacket. He desperately flicked it open, as he did his best to push himself up to lean his upper body against the tree his head had lain at the base of. He flicked the lighter on holding it away from him, to get as much light and vision back as he could.

His breathing became fast as he waved the lighter around, but it didn't do what he wanted. It illuminated the area around him, but in contrast, everything else became darker than before and impossible for him to see. "Who's there?" Dean raised his voice loud as he could, even though he felt like a chick in a horror flick.

He saw two eyes, low, and staring, coming closer. Dean tried to move further back, though only pushed himself further against the tree. His hand shook to the point the lighter fell into the snow his fingers completely numb. He bent forward, hands feeling the snowy ground for the small metal object. There was a loud thump, some snow blown into his face. He felt warmth right in front of his fingers as they froze. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, and he saw a large black mass right in front of him. "What the fu-..." Dean mumbled calming slightly. It was warm, almost hot, whatever was in front of him was like a furnace. His vision became brighter, his eyes getting used to the dark again. He was disappointed in his own relief to see Dana, right there, behind the black mass. A part of the black mass, a big one, was clearly in her mouth. It didn't take Dean long to catch on.

Dana dragged the deer closer to Dean, on top of his legs, putting pressure onto them. But the pressure was worth the warmth. "What do you- do you want me to eat it?" Dean panicked for a moment as Dana's head was beside his own, bringing the large deer closer and closer to him.

Dana snuffled loudly, and he heard the head drop right by his elbow on the ground loudly, the antlers against the ground causing it to turn its neck in a way Dean didn't want to see.

Before Dean could realise, Dana had disappeared. He cringed as he felt the blood for the animal while he shoved his hands under it, embracing the warmth, healing his numb and stiff fingers.

He understood, slowly, his brain working its way through the touch and cold of his exhaustion. He knew what happened to people that fell asleep in the snow. And Dana was buying him time, buying herself time until she found Sam. Dean just prayed it was enough time.

Dean didn't notice, he didn't realise he had fallen asleep in the cold. When he awoke he expected it to be even colder than before, but it wasn't. Everything was the same, except Dean felt warm, like he was back at the motel room. But when he opened his eyes he still saw the crowns of the trees, and the snow falling. He drifted in and out of consciousness, until he felt a tongue on his cheek, causing him to groan, and open his eyes entirely, finally. Dana was lying on top of him, keeping him warm, the deer clearly pulled aside, and away from him.

"I promise, no more chains for you, ever again, after this one." Dean's voice was hoarse and strained as he rested his hand on top of the dog's head on his chest. The wind was picking up, howling through the trees, leaves rustling high above them.

This was a good time, this was a great time to talk to her. Have a heart to heart.

"You think you're ever gonna look like a human again…?" Dean mumbled, closing his eyes again. He was immediately nudged by her snout, right on his jaw. He knew it wasn't his question, but the closing of his eyes. He looked at her, her head titled. He'd never seen an animal look worried, or distraught. But she sure was getting there.

"You ever even been human?" Dean raised his brows tiredly.

Dean's brows raised further, eyes widening when he saw the dog nod. He'd never seen her do something so human, usually her answers were barks, following their instructions.

"You prefer the fleas and the fur?" he asked quietly. It was good, talking was good, it was keeping him awake.

A small, short shake of the head. "So you wanna be human, huh?" Dean was grasping for straws, simply saying the first things he could think of. However, he did really want to know, and was being honest.

He got nothing, no yes, nor no, just a small whine, and her head resting on his chest again. This time, her snout near his neck, breathing into his jaw. It was a comforting sensation. Like they said, a dog's love was unconditional…. He liked that idea, someone, someone that wasn't family loving him no matter what.

"I gotta say, it's a lil' bit creepy to think… you're human in there." The thing was, he knew what she was, what she could be, it made it all almost normal. It killed him, however, it caused him to forever be wary around her, the fact he never saw her as a human. Never heard her say a word, hear an opinion, anything. He didn't doubt she knew that, it showed in her actions, she knew very well, right now her actions spoke louder than words.

"Didn't like your collar?" he chuckled slightly as he put his hand to her neck, holding her tightly there, in a rough though careful embrace. "You got a favorite colour, so we know what colour to get you next time…." the more he talked the better he felt, his voice getting less and less hoarse with every word.

"Are you even scared of anything...?" Dean mused. She wasn't scared of them, although the man she killed, and clearly knew was aware they were hunters. It was obvious she knew what hunters were as well. What Sam had said stuck with Dean however, the idea of her being with a happy family, children. He doubted she'd hurt them, anybody in fact, anybody good. He liked the idea, children playing with her, going jogging with the mom maybe, it seemed perfect for her. Walking the kids to school, picking them up, making sure they're safe just as she was making sure he was right now.

"Have you ever been with a family?" This time Dean wanted an answer, and he signified that when he put his hand under her jaw, lifting her head to look into her eyes.

She could barely shake her head, with his hand grasping it. It lead Dean to another thought, a suspicion. "You're new to this, aren't you?" he frowned slightly. almost pouting as he looked into her deep brown eyes, black in the darkness of the cold night.

"You're good at it at least…" he muttered letting go of her, only to rub his hand on her head again. Until her head shot up, and behind him, behind the tree. She was careful when she stood up from having lain on top of him, though she still accidentally stepped on the side of his waist and knee. He felt her tongue on his forehead going into his hair.

Barking loudly she ran away where he couldn't look. He knew Sam was close, she probably smelled him, heard him. Dean immediately felt the cold embrace him again, but he knew he wouldn't have to wait long. Though the barking growing quieter and quieter caused his stomach to drop slightly, the idea of just how far away Sam still was. Dana's absence caused a reaction, Dean doing his best to wrap his arms around himself, it wasn't a physical cold anymore. He had wordlessly accepted her help, her pity and he was fine with it. But he wanted her there, the whole time as a cost.

He had no doubt Sam would find him in time, especially if he had to run after a panicked Dana. He didn't know why he had no doubt she was frantic, running for and with Sam. Something told him she was, no matter how calm, and soothing she was in Dean's presence. He couldn't forget how smart she truly was, how human she was. Smart, but sometimes clueless, not in this case however. She knew exactly what she was doing, and Dean was aware of that. He would never have thought of a Deer as a damn blanket, to keep him alive, he would've just run, fast as he could, and he would've died because of that.

The barking returned quiet in the distance, it took all of Dean's strength to focus on it to even notice it. It got closer fast, until he only heard the panting of the dog.

He welcomed her in relief, lifting a hand to the side of her head. To his surprise she leaned into his touch, even closing her eyes. Her reactions to either of the brother's touch had been limited to the wagging of her tail and perhaps a huff.

Dean jumped as he heard a gunshot, bark of the tree falling onto him. He saw Dana trott away from him quickly, ears close to her head, tail tucked between her legs.

"Sam!" Dean yelled, his voice forceful as ever, angry.

He could've guessed the only way to lead Sam to Dean without words was by aggravating him, making him follow her, hunt her.

Sam was at Dean's feet immediately, bending to look him over.

"Tell me those ain't silver bullets, you maniac!" Dean grunted angrily, distracted by Sam long enough for Dana to disappear.

"C'mon." Sam groaned as he helped his brother to his feet. Dean's right leg was still too injured for him to walk properly, but with the help of his brother's arm, he could do his best.

His best efforts also went into looking over his shoulder, where he hoped to see the dog, staring at them leaving it behind in the snow. But there was nothing.

The idea that Sam may have actually hit her made him throw the other's arm off his shoulders. He had trouble keeping balance, but caught himself quickly.

"Sam." he looked at the younger with a warning scowl, breathing through his nose visibly.

"What? No, Dean." Sam argued, almost hurt by the assumption.

"She saved my life, Sam." Dean huffed looking back at the spot where he had lain. His outline was clear in the snow, as well as hers, inches of snow must have fallen while he'd lain there. It must have been longer than he'd thought.

"How long was I out here?" he frowned for a moment, confused.

"I don't know… four hours, maybe?" Sam was equally confused by the question, the answer seeming obvious to him.

"I swear I'm not leaving without her." Dean protested, thankfully he was unable to stomp either of his feet, he didn't want to look even more like a child. His nose was red, and he felt his ears numb in the cold, nose running.

"Let's get you inside first. We can go look for her tomorrow." Sam protested gently, reaching out to grab Dean's arm.

Dean planned on protesting, but as his mind was coming back to him, he knew it was the best option.

"And maybe- who knows, she'll follow us." Sam brought Dean's arm around his shoulders, and help him walk once more.

The walk back outside the forest, onto the road was long, and partially steep. A struggle to say the least. The purr of the engine comforted Dean, nearly as much as Dana had. Despite the lack of sentient care for him, Dean embraced the warmth, the smell of the car, the lights passing them slowly on the road to the motel.

The snow in Dean's hair melted quickly, and in the warmth of the car he shook even more than he had in the cold. "Don't fall asleep, alright?" Sam muttered, looking at Dean for a mere second before his eyes were back on the road.

Dean nodded, leaning against the car door, vibrations of the car lessening his own.


	5. Chapter 5

"D'you see her?" As Dean stood up quickly, the moment Sam entered the motel room with coffee in both hands, the force of Dean's movement knocked his chair back.

"No…" Sam shook his head setting down both cups on the table beside his laptop.

"Okay so… what do we got, we could just call her, I mean super crazy hearing, right? Smell too, we got a lot of options." Dean snapped his father's journal shut.

"Y'know, I thought this whole thing over…. Their bite isn't infectious when they're human. All we've got to do is figure out what's wrong with her. Turn her back to human, who knows maybe she can't even turn into a dog anymore after. And it's done, we can leave." Sam shrugged slightly, as he bent to look at his laptop again.

"What? Just skip town after that?" Dean frowned, looking almost offended by Sam's suggestion.

Sam merely nodded, causing Dean's lips to form a thin line. "That other dog guy would've strangled you, and I would've died out there last night if it wasn't for her. Y'know maybe she doesn't want to be what she is? Maybe she got bitten, and now she's stuck as a damned dog, and we're her only hope at being normal again!" Dean felt awfully alive, voice turning to a roar, ears turning red in anger.

"She's risked her own life multiple damned times, just to be human again. To save ours, too, Sam!" Sam looked away from his brother for a moment, expression a frown opposite of his brother. "She's stuck, and she needs our help, monster or not, she's the good kind, like us." Dean finished his speech fuelled solely by fury and guilt.

"She's with us until this problem is solved, dog or not." He said with a final movement of his hand to signal the end of the conversation. Grabbing one of the two coffees off the desk he left with a 'I'm gonna look for her', before slamming the door.

He could only guess if he was heading the right way, he had all windows down, in the hope of Dana smelling him. The day was far warmer than the night, the snow beginning to melt in the sunlight. He worried, as he didn't know how long the night had gone on after his rescue, even dogs could freeze to death out here, right?

He stopped in the middle of the road, where the forest began touching the paved road.

Soon as he shut the car door behind himself he felt the cold of the hill, and forest he was surrounded by. He put his fingers between his lips letting out a short but loud whistle. It was completely silent, only snow falling off trees here and there. He waited for what felt like an eternity, for a noise, a bark, something.

When he received nothing, without any doubts or worried for his own safety, he stomped into the woods. Cupping his hands around his mouth he called her name. It was hard to walk in the deep snow, his jeans already soaked to the knees after a few steps. He didn't remember it being like this last night….

Everything looked different at daytime, especially now that he was in his right mind, fully awake.

Hours passed of him walking through the forest, there were no paths, the ground was always uneven, he stumbled a few times. He was about to give up when his phone rang. Surprised he even had reception, Dean picked up, noticing his fingers growing numb again as he held his cold hand and phone to his ear.

"Find her yet?" Sam questioned, immediately on the other end. Though before Dean could even open his mouth to respond, his brother continued. "You've been out there a while now, if you haven't found her now…." the younger trailed off, halting his speech completely.

"Yeah, alright, I got it…." Dean huffed. The cold was causing him to give up, he was becoming frustrated again. "Yeah, I'm headin' back." Dean nodded before hanging up without another word.


	6. Chapter 6

_I got no excuse, I was just too damn lazy to write Dean finding Dana. In hindsight, Dana was a pretty dumb name to pick too._

 _Dean & Dana? Good grief._

"Uh, sir! No pets in the store." The woman behind the counter's mouth remained open, a finger held up as she stared at the dog by Dean's side, finger slowly curling, and lowering as she stared at Dana.

"What? This is a pet store?" Dean frowned confused, lifting up his hands in question, the leash hanging loosely over his right.

"Lady, we'll be gone in just a minute." Dean tugged at the leash shortly and began walking, out of her sight, down an isle. He let go of the leash quickly, looking at all of the colourful toys decorating the shelves. "That's gonna be a long minute…." he sighed looking at plush toys. "Man, twenty bucks for a ball you put peanut butter in…." he frowned, looking at a tag on the toy. When Dean heard a loud squeak, it was quickly followed by a voice.

"Sir! Do not let your dog play with a toy unless you plan on buying it!" he heard the woman at the checkout chide, loudly.

Dean looked over his shoulder before turning around. "Oh no, that looks expensive…. Dana, no." Dean narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Dana, a fluffy ball in her mouth, legs far apart, head low as she looked up at him.

"Put it back, Dana." he commanded. He felt silly, bad too, he promised her… and damn she looked so cute.

Dean sighed, closing his eyes. "Alright, promise is a promise….." He sighed, and reached down taking the ball easily, although he expected her to tug, and refuse.

"You really want this, huh?" Dean resisted the urge to wipe his now wet hands on his jacket, throwing the ball in the air and catching it again, walking around another corner, looking at all the 'accessoires'.

"You can see colour like this though, right?" Dean whispered, looking down at Dana, absentmindedly lowering his hand, uncaring when she simply nudged the ball out of his hand. Dean chuckled at how big the ball was when he turned to look at her, it was far too big for her. She moved her jaw, to attempt to get a better grip on it. But it bounced, suddenly, completely dropped by her. She sat down, looking up where an array of collars hung. "This one?" Dean pointed at a dark blue collar, looking at her questioningly. He knew exactly what she was staring at like that, but refused to believe, or want it. She looked at him, for a moment, before turning back to the shelf, a clear no. Slowly Dean moved his finger, touching a pale pink collar with it. "Please, shake your head." Dean scrunched up his face. But no, not her head was shaking, but her tail was wagging quickly. "It has fake diamonds on it, Dana. Don't do this to me…." His shoulders slumped, but she didn't change, if anything her tail was only moving faster.

"Alright… you wanna try it on first?" Dean took the pink collar off the hook it was hanging on to inspect it as he turned to her. Dean got on one knee, reached around her neck and removed the carabiner from the chain, throwing it over his shoulder. "This is like a belt buckle, fancy…." Dean nodded at the collar in his hands as he opened the buckle. "I thought they only made collars with one of those… slide clasp…. thingies." Dean had checked, the collar was only five bucks, and he was incredibly relieved.

Dean leaned back to look at her better once he'd closed it. "Looks good, not too tight?" he tugged at it a little, to see it better as some of her fur was covering it.

"Let me guess…. you want a matching leash?" he looked into her eyes, but she moved away, standing up and walking down the isle a little to tug at a leash hanging from a hook. Dean got up, and followed her. "Oh how kind of you, Dana." Dean chuckled. It wasn't pink, no, a deep red, almost brown. It was long, and the metal rings and clasp to attach to the collar were golden. "Y'know, sometimes I'm glad you got four legs. Shoes and a handbag would be way more expensive." Dean mused taking the leash off the hook. "Get your ball and let's get the hell out of here."

Dean enjoyed the quiet taps of Dana's paws as she followed him to the cashier.

"That would be a hundred fourty-nine, and ninety-nine cents." The cashier looked up at him, watched his eyes widen, and jaw drop.

"What the fu- this is a ball, with some fur on it." Dean pointed down at the ball on the counter.

The cashier sighed, taking the ball, pulling at the tag to show it to him.

"This is real hare pelt." She looked entirely bored, unimpressed, like she'd expected this of him.

"I can skin my own friggin rabbit." Dean grunted, turning around to leave. "C'mon Dana." He knew it, he felt it. And when he stopped walking, right at the door, turned around he saw her sit there, leash in her mouth. The cashier was smiling spitefully at him as Dean sighed.

"Anything else, Dana. In the whole store…. so long as it's under fifty bucks." Dean whined, almost begging.

He watched her tilt her head, and he knew it was just a game, a joke that was on him, she was playing confused puppy, and it got to him.

"Alright just… just don't tell Sam about this." Dean muttered, looking down at her when he said 'tell'. He kept his eyes down though, refusing to make eye contact with the cashier in shame as he paid.

But Dean smiled, as he walked down the road, Dana ahead of him, ball in her mouth, almost too big. It would squeak quietly whenever she would attempt to get a better grip on it. He didn't even think about the money, because she walked so funny.

"Oh wow, that looks stunning." Sam laughed as he rubbed his hands over Dana's back roughly when she sat between his legs, head resting on his thigh as he looked at the collar.

"Yeah? Real expensive…." Dean sat down on his own bed.

"Well… she deserves it." Sam smiled, trying to take the ball out of her mouth. She was growling, tugging, putting her legs out in front of her to try and use her weight. But somehow, both of the brothers knew, it was playful. Dean leaned back on the bed, legs hanging off, arms crossed behind his head.

"C'mon, let me take a look at it." Sam chuckled, tugging with both hands now. It squeaked loudly and Sam fell back onto the bed suddenly.

"Damn that's loud!" Dean sat up, and it took him a moment to really hear Dana's whine over his own voice.

"Too loud for her, probably." he nodded his head towards her as he looked at Sam who was slowly getting up again.

"Then why did you buy it? She probably hears even better than a normal dog, Dean." Sam looked at the ball, fur all flat from all her saliva.

"She wanted it, man! I didn't want to get it in the first place. But you should've seen the look on her face." Dean defended, eyes big.

"Don't worry, it's a ball, we can take the part that makes the noise out of it." Sam looked at the ball, and then beyond it, at Dana sitting at the end of his bed, staring at it.

Dean narrowed his eyes slightly. "Dana." he barely heard it himself, it was as quiet as he could say it, far below a whisper, but her ear moved, just barely. He saw it twitch, even from behind. Sam clearly didn't hear it, teasing Dana by holding up the ball, waving it around. Dean liked this, he decided. He liked that Sam looked like the little kid he remembered, he liked that Dana was… not a monster, a buddy, an advantage.

Dean smiled when Dana continuously shifted on the ground, clearly wanting to jump onto the bed Sam was sitting on and just get the ball. "Do it." Dean whispered and she immediately leaped, onto the bed, but more so Sam. Dean burst into laughter when the air was knocked out of Sam, his eyes widening. Dana couldn't stand, couldn't land with Sam in the way, so she simply slumped, on top of Sam, the ball caught in her jaws when Sam let go in surprise.

"Don't be surprised if she-" And it happened. A long, pink tongue almost covered half of Sam's face, when the ball was dropped onto his chest. "Oh gross, my mouth was open." Sam laughed, putting a hand onto her head to make her stop.

"C'mon, Sam, you haven't been kissed in a while." Dean smirked.


	7. Chapter 7

_I have no idea._

Dean was scared, and that's exactly when the barking started. It made him jump, it was so deep, so loud, he heard it through the walls. It told him he was real, and he was awake. He felt himself shake as his bare feet touched the cold floor.

"What the hell?" Sam groaned, waking up himself.

"It's fine, it's my fault." Dean muttered heading for the door of the motel room. As soon as he turned the doorknob, it was completely silent. The absolute first thing Dean saw wasn't Dana, but the scratches in the previously perfectly painted door.

"C'mon, get in." Dean stepped aside tiredly, pointing inside the room.

He kept his eyes closed, the lights of the street and the parking lot simply too much. He only needed to listen to her claws on the ground to know when to close the door. He looked over to see Sam had fallen right back asleep before letting himself fall back into his own bed.

"Get up." Dean mumbled, pulling the blanket over himself. He felt the bed dip significantly, and she laid down beside him, putting her head onto his stomach.

"You know when I'm scared, don't you?" It was just like it had been in the woods, Dean could talk with her, like she was a human, and maybe, just sometimes she could give him an answer.

"You know when anybody's scared." Dean answered his own question, nodding as she turned her head sideways on him, looking up at him.

"Doesn't say that superpower in any of our books." Dean placed his hand on her head as he stared at the ceiling. He didn't look at her eyes, sharp and steady but he always felt her tender charm.

"'There any other things we don't know about your kind?" Dean chuckled when he heard a low, quiet, whine. "Well you are one of… some skinwalkers. Your kind, you're one of them now. Doesn't mean it's that bad." he shrugged slightly, smiling.

"Okay, here's a question. Because of this… predicament. Do you have any dog … things to you? Do you get super excited over snow, or if you see a squirrel you freak out…? Any of that?" Dean feeling the movement over her wagging tail told him enough, and so he fell asleep mumbling, and smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

_We have reached the point in the fic where I have officially given up, and simply written down moments, scenes, Ideas. I just... no idea, mate._

Two months of Dana by their side, Dean finally thought of her, truly. In the past weeks he never thought about it, it just happened. He adored her, and he was sure Sam did too. It was so enjoyable, so comforting, to have her snoozing in the back seat as they drove. Have her sleeping in front of the door in the motel room. They didn't even remember when or how it happened, that she slept inside with them, guarding the door for them.

And when Dean couldn't sleep, he would walk along the road with her in the fog. Everything simply clicked into place without any thought.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is a dream, right?" Dean turned to Castiel, arching a brow. Castiel didn't answer, as they both knew he didn't have to, Dean simply wanted to be sure.

"You wanted to meet Dana, as she was before." Castiel stated simply, giving Dean the usual blank stare.

"So this isn't a dream? You brought me back in time?" Dean frowned, confused, and slightly aggravated. Truthfully, he couldn't wait. But he was afraid too, afraid this might entirely obscure his view of the skinwalker that he'd grown to love, and accept as part of his family. He wanted her just as she was, never to change.

"This is a dream. But this is the past too, nothing you say or do will affect the future. She will not remember this. As much reality as it is a dream." Dean nodded, looking around, he saw his breath in the air, and felt the cold wrap around him as he stood in the parking lot.

"Where do I find her?" Dean turned back to Castiel, looking over his shoulder.

Dean grew just slightly suspicious when Castiel's lips remained unchanged, but there was something that made him look like he smiled.

"She's inside. You'll know when you see her." Even the angel's voice seemed joyous somehow as he nodded just barely.

Dean turned, slowly looking at the large building of the parking lot. It looked ancient, decorated and sad looking like a church, grey and sharp. Dean wanted to walk inside, so bad. But he just stood there, staring at the light drawing patterns on the icy parked cars from the windows of the building. When he walked he stopped thinking. The air was thick and warm, comfortable above all was the smell, dusty and woody, in the good way not the haunted house way. There were desks, dozens, green and gold lamps on top of each of them. The walls weren't walls, shelves stacked with books older than his car. High and towering, two stories high. Just like a church it was quiet, and Dean's steps echoed as he gazed at the ancient library.

A phone rang loudly through the giant halls, almost making Dean jump. Nancy Sinatra began wailing about her boots as Dean looked around. He followed the sound, and the tired judging looks of the few readers here and there. "Sorry. So sorry." a voice whispered from around a bookshelf, right as the music stopped. "I said sorry… Jesus." the whispering voice hissed. Behind a desk stood a woman a phone in her hand, flipped open as she pressed button after button. And there was not a doubt in Dean's mind that her name was Dana. Red hair tied in a tight knot at the back of her head, a pen in her mouth.

Dean stood there mouth hanging open, he wanted her to stay like this, for him to be in this moment for as long as he pleased. A cup of coffee landed on the info-desk she stood behind. The hand that let it go belonged to another woman. Brown hair, the ugliest knit sweater Dean had ever seen.

They didn't see him, if they noticed him, they didn't care that he was staring at them around a bookshelf.

"Who was it?" the brown haired girl leant forward, resting her elbows on the high infopult, chin in her hands.

"None of your business." the redhead smiled teasingly.

"The guy asks you to marry him, and you won't even answer his calls?" the ugly sweater raised her brows high. Dean pulled a face, his dog was engaged?

"Don't you have a dictionary older than your bloodline to read somewhere?" the redhead teased, smirking as she grabbed a pen and paper.

"I'm just saying, even if it's a no, he deserves to know. You're ruining his life, Julie." the brunette muttered empathetically. Dean breathed a sigh of relief, his dog definitely wasn't engaged.

"It's just so awkward. Who proposes in a McDonald's parking lot? Impatient, nervous nerds do. No offence, by the way." Julie giggled casually.

"He's a good guy-"

"Who are you to talk about guy problems, Dana?" the redhead placed a hand on the pult, leaning on it as she looked down at… Dana.

"All you do is read books here, go to your night job at the damn gas station, and sleep in your sad, dirty apartment. Listen," Dean took a step forward when her voice grew louder. Both women looked at him, and Dean only looked at Dana gasping for words.

"Can I help you?" She stood up straight, a true and honest smile on her face making Dean's knees weaken.

"Uh- I yeah, could you come with me?" he stammered nervously.

"Sure." Oh it was definitely Dana, no questions asked, no suspicions or worries. She would come with him wherever he wanted her to come.

She smiled gently as she stepped around the desk to stand in front of him. She had a golden name tag on the collar of the eyesore sweater, wore dark grey jeans and high boots.

"What are you looking for?" she asked. Over her shoulder Dean saw the redhead look him up and down flirtatiously, any other time Dean would've pushed Dana aside, if it wasn't Dana too.

"I was- I was looking for you actually." He smiled nervously.

"Oh? Well… what can I do for you?" She looked slightly surprised, like she was thinking, before the smile returned.

"Just come with me." he didn't hesitate, wrapping his hand around her upper arm and beginning to walk.

"I'm sorry but I can't leave the building." she said suddenly when they neared the door, easily pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Please, I'll give you all the money I got on me." Dean reached into his pocket, looking at her pleadingly.

"I- what? No, I don't want your money." she took a step back from him, brows furrowed deeply.

"Please." he begged again, expression pained.

He waited, watched her look at him something like fear in her eyes, something that told her to run from him, get help, and some familiarity. Dean didn't know why, but he knew, he knew she would nod when she did, just barely and fast, that she would take his hand when he held it out to her, and follow him outside into the biting cold.

"Let's get a coffee, what coffee do you like?" Dean talked fast as he pulled her. He thought about time, how hard he'd smack Sam if he woke him up now.

"Extra milk?" he heard her chuckle uneasily.

"My name's Dean, by the way." he stopped, letting go of her hand, turning on his heel to face her.

"That's funny… I'm Dana." she revealed her teeth as she smiled brightly, no sharp teeth. And all Dean could think was ' **yet** '.

"So coffee?" he raised his brows, tilting his chin down. She nodded, smiling still. "So what do you work so much for?" he asked as he held the car door open for her. Once she sat, he jogged around the car to sit behind the wheel.

"I want to go to university. I know I can get into the big game ones, it's dreadful… but I really want a good job." she looked down at her hands, chuckling bashfully.

"Like… Yale and… those others…?" Dean turned his head to the side slightly, but kept his eyes on the road as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yeah I… I got a letter from Harvard seven months ago. i've been working my ass off to get the cash." she tilted her head back, sighing out the curse.

Dean didn't smile with relief like she did, he knew that she was doomed, that she was never going to go to that school, or get the job she wanted.

"So what's that job?"

"I want to be a Journalist, but no… no buzzfeed articles, none of that. I want to find the truth, and tell it to the world, y'know." she looked at him looking for an understanding. Den only nodded in his own world of thoughts.

"But at the same time… it's all shit. It's all boring, this job, the library, the gas station. School, it's all so… average, even if it's a good school. I want something… special." she dropped her hands onto her legs as she shrugged.

Dean laughed, smiling as he nodded. "Yeah, I get that." he chuckled.

She made him feel so much better about the knot in his stomach, the feeling that the thought of how unbelievably innocent she was. The fact that she sat in the car of a stranger, answered his questions without any of her own, it killed him. That she was going to listen and treat a monster like she treated him now.

She sat on the hood of the Impala, a coffee clutched in both of her hands, sleeves tugged over half of her hands as Dean stood in front of her sipping on his own black coffee.

"So he… doesn't get the girl?" Dean arched a brow, asking for clarification.

"Yeah! That's the great thing, for once not everything is perfect, for once the story isn't fucking cookie-cutter. I'm telling you, you need to read that book. It's so good." she smiled excitedly, nodding.

Dean didn't give a rat's ass what book she was talking about, he wasn't going to read it. All he cared about was her smile, hearing her voice, oh he could hear it forever.

"You know…. I want a story like that. Not a book, a real one, here, now. I know that won't happen at University… or really at any job." She set down the cup on the hood of the car, and crossed her arms looking up at the stars, her breath in the air like smoke in the light of the moon.

"There's this… quote, from one of my favourite authors." she looked Dean in the eyes, and he listened. "Imagine a story where everything goes wrong, where everyone has their back against the wall, where everyone is in pain and acting selfishly because if they don't, they'll die. Imagine a story, not of good against evil, but of need against need against need, where everyone is at cross-purposes and everyone is to blame."

Dean only chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sounds pretty damn familiar…." he mused, looking back at her.

She was silent, brows raised high, a closed smile on her lips. She wanted him to talk, for once.

"Oh uh… I got some, family troubles back at home. Y'know the usual. S'why I live on the road now, sweetheart." he pointed at the car she was sitting on top of, smiling slightly.

"Trust me, if I had the money I'd be doing the same." she tilted her head in a dismissive manner.

All Dean had the guts to do all night was hang his jacket around her shoulders, make up things he'd never say. Some words would stay in Dean's head as he ignored the other things she said. _Everyone needs a place, even if it's inside of someone else._

"Your heart's in the right place, it's your head I'm worried about." Dean said finally, as the crows flew over their heads, the sky slowly growing blue, and the birds beginning to sing. The sun was still far away from the horizon, and the cold only grew stronger.

She looked at him tiredly, her eyes heavy and brows slightly furrowed. Dean knew she just barely heard him, as he was tired too, but he refused to sleep, as he was afraid he would wake up. They had sat in the backseat, the engine running, the car was just beginning to grow warmer, and he could still see his own breath as he talked.

"You do me a favour, Dana…." he focused on his voice now, rubbing a hand over his face. "Hm?" she closed her eyes, humming questioningly.

"You stay away from… dogs. You… just don't walk alone at night. Be careful, alright…." he knew it was no use, he absolutely knew it. But he had to say it, he had to try.

"In fact, just be careful with everyone." Dean was beginning to talk to himself now, thinking of other things to warn her about.

"Why'd you even follow me? Let me take you away like that?" Dean frowned, staring at the back of the front seat, chin tilted down, his brows furrowed deeply. He didn't expect an answer, and thought he was right when there was nothing but silence, until he heard his jacket move around her, she placed her head on his shoulder in a different angle.

"But I love dogs…." She mumbled, her voice almost a whine.

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, I know you do."

"Your eyes, I think. To be honest… you look a little scary." she moved her head a little once more, getting more comfortable. "I was pretty mean as a kid, a bully maybe. I just… I grew up, I try to make up for all bad I've done, give everyone a chance, y'know. Even if I don't want to." she mumbled absentmindedly, sleep clearly taking a hold of her.

"Well that's shit." Dean shook his head, voice little more than a breath.

He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He liked this a lot. He still thought he hated dogs, but Dana wasn't a dog. Not really, at least. She was something like his best friend, and right now she didn't even know it.

After a while, between sleep and wake, Dean heard the familiar sound of wings fluttering. When he opened his heavy eyes he saw Castiel in the front seat, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"I want her to stay, like this." Dean knew she was asleep, and even if she wasn't, she would never remember….

"It's not an option." Castiel said simply, causing one of Dean's hand to form a fist on top of his thigh.

"You change this, you change her. You or Sam might be dead in the present." the angel elaborated carelessly, looking out the window at the coffee shop at the end of the parking lot. It was opening again as the sky turned silver.

"Then bring us back. I don't care." Dean murmured sternly.

"She's a nice girl." Dean's brows furrowed further, forehead crinkling like paper as he felt some resentment at the angel's statement. "I understand you don't want this to happen to her, but there is nothing you can do. Even the most normal people who will never accomplish anything have a destiny, Dean."

Dean couldn't help but think of the dark side she had. She wasn't a nice girl, and he was fine with it. He didn't have to handle her with caution anymore, neither did Sam. But that would never erase the vicious side she had, some bitterness that made her heartless and merciless if she wanted to be. She had it on lock, though, she could control it. But sometimes he thought she enjoyed playing vicious dog too much. It reminded him too much of himself. Though Dean would never doubt that she wouldn't even think about harming a hair on his or Sam's head.

"At least tell me how it happens." Dean growled out, finally breaking his voice out of the whisper.

Castiel looked back through the rearview mirror into Dean's eyes, as if making sure he really did want to know. The angel nodded, pursing his lips.

"She works at the gas station down the road, tomorrow night." Dean took in a deep breath, holding it for a while. "A man will come in, she will be the only one working that night, her coworker will be late. It will be well into the night. He will buy cigarettes and a microwavable meal. On his way out he will slap her rear. And she will call him a dog, tell him to go home to his bitch of a mother…. Her shift will be over five in the morning. She will try to run from what she will think is a stray dog. There will be posters on every surface of this town for the next five months." Dean's lip quivered, he could just see it in his head. He gently placed his hand on top of her head on his shoulder, lowering his head to hide his hazy sight.

"She loves you, as well as Sam." Dean's head shot up to look at Castiel once more, but he wasn't looking back, watching staff of the coffee shop lift chairs of the tables.

"She'll be fine. Even as a dog. She is content." Castiel gave a single affirmative nod.

"Also." Castiel lifted a finger, turning slightly in his chair to look over his shoulder.

"She would like you to know, it would be much easier to get girls with her by your side." the angel cleared his throat, and Dean tried not to laugh, to stop his chest from rising and falling, not to wake her up.

"Wait, how do you know that?" He frowned suddenly, eyes narrowing as Castiel turned back in his seat to look ahead.

"Telepathy, Dean. I can still understand her in her… less human form." the angel muttered.

"And you never thought to tell me and Sam that?" the first word came out as a loud bark, before Dean thought better than to yell with the girl on his shoulder.

The angel sighed, lowering his chin as if to drop his head. "Her favourite colour is green. She likes it when Sam puts his hand on her head, when he keeps it there. She still thinks about, and regrets frightening both of you when you first met." Dean wanted the list to go on, so he nodded, a stern expression on his face, lips tight, jaw set, telling the angel to go on.

He felt his stomach turn, in a good way, an exhilarating cold spreading through him.

"She likes it when you kiss the top of her head, when you rub her neck roughly…. She hates it…" the angel sighed audibly. "... when you two think she wants to play with other dogs. Especially Sam, because he's so happy about it. That one time when she sneezed in your face, it was on purpose. She genuinely likes the cheap dog food the most…. She isn't proud of it." Dean let out a 'ha' at that, finally, the apples of his cheeks rising, dimples showing as he grinned.

"She likes walking without a leash, close to either of you. She thinks it makes you look 'cool', she likes the looks people give you. At the same time she likes it when you keep her on a tight leash, it makes her look dangerous. She pulls to emphasize, not because she doesn't like it." Dean could tell, Castiel was beginning to feel exasperated. And he could just imagine the angel thinking 'I am a messenger of god, not a dog's' in his head. It only made him happier. It simply filled him with joy to know all of this, to finally know things he never even considered. He couldn't wait to tell Sam.

The angel cleared his throat one more time. "She wants you to take here somewhere one day, she's been trying to figure out how to tell you. A place with children, a playground, a school. She likes them." The angel looked out the window, jaw moving slightly. Yeah, Dean knew after this he wasn't going to get any more out of him.

"Oh." The angel was now smiling just barely as he turned his head to look at Dean from the corner of his eyes. "The pink collar was for you. She actually wants a collar for every day of the week. Though she thinks a chain or something like it would look more… badass. She saw it on television, but neither of you were there to try to tell."

Dean barely had the time to think about nor process what the angel had said when he opened his eyes. He didn't remember closing them, but he realised what must've happened when he saw the slightly green tinted ceiling of their current motel room.

 _Okay, this is where I sort of ruined the fic for myself. I didn't know if I wanted Sam and Dean to just have a damn dog, or for Dana to become human again, and stay human, and be their friend. But that's fucking weird. I fucked it all up for myself. But don't worry, sadly, it goes on._


	10. Chapter 10

Dean sat up without hesitation, he was awake as ever.

"Dana." Dean slapped his palms down on his knees once he put his feet on the ground. The sun was starting to shine through the blinds of the window.

She looked exhausted, but she got up from her place on the ground, between Sam and Dean's beds. Her head hung low, her tail swishing from side to side slowly as she walked over to Dean.

"You wanna ditch Sam, go somewhere?" He asked gently when she sat down in front of him, just barely between his legs as he rubbed his hand roughly up and down the back of her neck. He knew the resting of her jaw on his knee was a definite yes, and kissing the top of her head he headed to the bathroom.

While Dean stood under the shower, Sam woke up as well, far slower than Dean, though he eventually did, with the help of a cold nose nudging his own.

"Oh god, Dana." Sam pushed her snout away with a limp hand, eyes still closed, a low chuckle leaving his lips. But when the blanket was slowly pulled away from over him, he didn't try to stop her, muttering a 'alright, I'm up' as he rubbed a hand through his shaggy hair.

Sam was used to it, Dana creating a sort of pile out of his blanket, and laying on top of it dramatically, clearly trying to keep it away from him. "Don't get hit by a car…." Sam joked as he pulled open the motel room door, as he did every morning. And Dana raced outside, as she did every morning. He loved it, that she made her rounds, going where she wanted, but never too far. And neither Sam nor Dean ever truly worried about time. They could pack their things, and hit the road. And the would find her at the side of the road, waiting patiently for them. It was rare, as she usually returned after merely an hour. But Sam had owned, and taken care of dogs before. And by now, he sometimes even caught himself thinking he would never want a 'real' dog again. Dana had all the pros, and none of the cons. He even thought she smelled better than any dog he'd met.

Sam the large metal bowl beside the door next to the table, now full of the dry lumps. Before showering he went around the block, picking up coffee and breakfast. When he returned, just as he sat down, and turned on the television for some background noise, the bathroom door opened.

"Thank you." Dean sung as he picked up the large cup of coffee from the table in front of Sam.

Sam was biting into his breakfast sandwich when he thought Dean had burned himself on his coffee, a spluttering sound, and a heavy breath coming from behind the sofa.

"Dude, turn up the volume." Dean slapped Sam's shoulder until he reached for the remote, finally looking up to the screen of the television.

"Is that… taken from a helicopter?" Sam frowned at first, until his eyes widened.

It was a nice neighbourhood, a sweet footpath between yards, greenery everywhere. And right on that path was a large animal. Not a cougar, or some lost bear.

"Dude that's Dana!" Dean shrugged on his jacket quickly.

"We implore all parents to keep their children inside until the animal has been removed. Back to the studio to Nat and Chris." the voice of the narrator of the live footage explained as the volume rose.

The shot changed to two people in a studio. "What street?! Oh my god just tell the important stuff!" Dean groaned impatiently as the two hosts began talking.

"Really an impressive animal." the man with the grey hair said, nodding to his co-host.

"Frightening, you mean." The woman frowned astonished, causing Dean to grin, nodding in approval. "Animal Control is attempting to catch this dog as we speak. We've been told they suspect it to be a German Shepherd Mal- Malinois mix." the woman read off the card, stumbling over the name.

"In addition, the dog is of unusual size. It may not look like it from a birdseye view, though this is truly a large animal." the woman continued, and the man beside her snorted.

"I mean, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about it." the woman ignored him, continuing to glance at the cards in her hand and back at the camera.

"The dog appears to be wearing a collar an-"

"Oh shit." The man sputtered, chuckling, his eyes on the side of the screen.

The news set disappeared, and the birds eye view returned.

"Oh god." Sam dropped his head, rubbing a hand across his forehead.

"Say the damn street name already!" Dean yelled at the television, lifting a flat hand to point at it.

Dana was completely surrounded, but she didn't know it yet. Sam frowned pitifully when he noticed her tail tucked between her legs, hip low as she darted around the alley between yard fences.

"Nets? Are you kidding me?" Dean frowned. "Hey, whoa what's that?" Dean walked around the sofa to stand beside the television, pointing at one of the two groups on either end of the alley.

"That's … some sort of hook, a sling on a stick. They put it around the dog's neck to both keep it away and take it where they want it…." Sam mumbled unhappily.

"They trying to hang my girl?" Dean's shoulders moved back, lifting a hand and a coffee, expression and posture conveying nothing but 'what the fuck?'

As soon as the street name was mentioned both brothers exchanged a look, and bolted for the car.

They saw the news helicopter from afar, then a cop car, another, and finally a big white truck decorated with cheap paw stickers. "Sir, you're going to have to take a different route, there's a wild animal on the loose." A cop was immediately by Dean's side when he stepped out of the car parked in the middle of the road.

"Wild animal? That's _my_ dog." Dean frowned, affronted.

The officer looked a little weirded out, expression twisting in surprise for a moment.

"You got your papers on ya?" the officer questioned, brows raising.

"Yeah, sure." Dean bent in the middle to reach into the open car window to get his license and registration, but Sam's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"He means for the dog." Sam raised his brows, giving Dean a look only could see, one that definitely meant they were in some trouble, and needed to think of something.

"The dog ain't chipped?" the officer widened his eyes in disbelief.

Dean gave him a short, nervous smile as he turned to look at him again.

"She was a gift…?" he smiled, once more, dropping it quickly when he saw the cop's stern expression.

"A gift? Yeah, she come from the back of a truck? Sure looks like it, dog that big don't get that way naturally…." the officer took a step closer to Dean who immediately took a step back.

But Sam saved Dean. "Alright… our neighbour moved out, left her behind. Couldn't find that guy anywhere…." Sam mumbled feigning guilt and shame quite well.

"Nothin' I can do, boy." She officer shrugged almost apologetically.

"The shelter they get her to s' who you have to talk to." he looked from one brother to the other.

"She's a real good dog, I swear." Dean could barely believe the sound of his own voice, and those words leaving him. "She's just scared, we took her to the park and she saw a squirrel and she was gone." Dean sounded desperate, almost like he was begging.

"Look, I'll show you." Dean had no idea where she could be, if she was even really near them at all when he put his fingers into his mouth and a loud whistle left him.

Everything was quiet, until the officer chuckled. "Real good dog, 'm sure." he nodded patronizingly.

Sam threw his hands in the air, as if to say 'it's no use', his jaw moving as his face transmitted nothing but annoyance.

That was, until from between houses a brown shadow came. Every single one of the four officers in the area reached for their guns.

"Dana! Sit!" Sam yelled in a panic, a flat palm held up, voice loud and stern, while Dean simply panicked inside. They all cringed at the sound of her claws on the concrete just as she hit the road and halted, immediately sitting down, various people in uniforms emerging from the same alley.

"Jesus Christ." Dean blew out all the air he had in his lungs dramatically. And still, as she sat, every cop was ready, arms extended holding onto their firearms.

"Pink collar, classy…." The cop that stood by the Winchesters disarmed himself as he turned to look at the dog, a sarcastic smile on his face. The other three were still armed, standing around the squad car that was closer to Dana, and farther from the Winchesters.

A loud and painful yelp made the brothers' heads turn, and their bodies tense. The noose at the end of an iron stick was looped over her head, and around her throat, tightening as she was pulled back. She tried resisting, even standing on her highlight in her last ditch effort not to be pulled off her feet.

"Hey! What're they doing?!" Dean stepped forward, ready to run over to them and rescue her.

"You can follow their car to the shelter, there you can pick her up."


	11. Chapter 11

Traffic on the mainstreet was what made them lose the stark white truck with the tinted windows, as soon as it rounded the corner, exiting traffic far in front of them Dean hit the steering wheel with the bases of his hands.

"This is bull, if I say it's my dog then it's my damn dog!" he snapped, brows furrowed deeply as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Did you see that? They almost strangled her!" he argued, turning to Sam for just a second, as if when he looked back at the road it would be clear.

Sam knew if he responded Dean would only go on more. He knew Dean was looking for Sam to back him up, to support his anger. But Sam knew, or hoped… everything would be fine.

"I'm sorry, but that pup's already been picked up." the woman at the front desk gave them a tightlipped, smile, a clearly weak attempt at an apologetic expression.

"What do you mean?" Dean didn't need her to explain, didn't need her to apologize, no.

"Uh…." her mouth opened, Dean's voice clearly having conveyed he was serious about getting his damn dog back.

"I mean we have a lot of really good pups here." she put on a new faux smile, too bright to ever be real. "Maybe you should take a loo-"

"No, lady, listen. I want _my_ dog." Dean pointed a crooked and tense finger at his chest as he raised his voice.

Sam stepped in when the woman took a step back despite the counter separating them.

"Maybe you could give us the address of whoever you gave her to? I'm sure we could work this out." he smiled politely.

Dean hated it, oh god could he feel anger bubbling up inside of him when he sat with a cup of damn tea in a fancy house.

"Oh so she was yours?" The woman with the silvery and silky blonde hair looked at them innocently. Genuine, too, which only pissed the older brother off more.

"Is, ours. _Is_." Dean corrected with a clearly fake polite smile.

"But my boy has already bonded so much with Dutchess…." the woman frowned, nearly pouting as she looked down at the cup of tea on her lap.

"D-Dutchess?" Dean looked like he had just bitten into a lemon.

"You've had the dog for what, an hour?" Dean composed himself.

The woman bit her lip, before standing up. "Come on." She motioned for them to follow with a hand over her shoulder.

The brothers exchanged lockjaw looks, before standing up and following her. The sun at its highest point embraced them when they stepped into the large backyard to find a boy, no older than five. Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes, and breathe steam through his nose when he saw the boy sit on the back of his damn dog, tugging at her ears as he attempted to hop on top of her, or with her, Dean didn't care. She was laying there, head on her paws.

"It would break my heart to take her away from him…" The woman rested one elbow on a crossed arm, cupping her face with a hand, leaning into it.

"That dog is not a toy, ma'am." Sam said respectfully.

"Oh I know, I would've gotten a smaller one. A puppy, I mean they're only really cute when they're young, right? But… my husband wanted a guard dog." she muttered casually.

"Dana, c'mere." Dean patted a hand on his thigh, urging her to come, getting her attention from the other end of the yard.

As her head turned the child still held on to one of her ears, making an eye of hers close as if in pain, but both Sam and Dean knew she was simply being melodramatic.

"Dana? But that's a people name…." the woman muttered disapprovingly.

"Well it's a smart dog…." Sam commented. "I think… a golden retriever would be the perfect dog for your family, ma'am. You know they have this thing called soft-mouth it-"

"Oh I hate those." she waved Sam off, as if disgusted, closing her eyes for a moment as she watched her child.

Meanwhile Dean had a staredown with Dana, something was wrong. Dean knew she should've gotten up, ran up to him, left the child to fall off her back and begin to cry. But she simply looked at him. And as the child clumsily climbed off her back to fall onto his ass in the grass she stayed, turning her head as he fell as it worried.

"Can we… have a moment in private, please?" Dean heard that, when Sam asked her, and she nodded politely, heading back inside.

"Maybe we should let her stay. Nice family, mom, dad, kid's gonna get older, appreciate her a lot." Sam muttered, but sighed when Dean rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, it's not a dog, Sammy. You forget that?" he snapped, turning to look at Sam.

But Sam was watching Dana and the child in the distance. She was standing behind it now, as it pulled at the grass and made little heaps of torn grass. She was sniffing its hair, gently moving her snout up and down as she towered over the boy.

"I still think she'd be happy here. Happier than with us." Sam shrugged a single shoulder.

"No." Dean said simply and began marching towards the child.

Sam watched as he knelt down in front of the boy, a kind, and a true smile on his face as he spoke to it, with the occasional glances up at Dana.

Sam smirked slightly when Dana's tongue went up the entire side of Dean's head and he cringed, rubbing at the wet skin with a disgusted expression, and the toddler laughed audibly. When Dana licked the toddler's cheek too it mimicked Dean, squealing with amusement.

It took a few more words between the boy and Dean, until the boy held onto the fur on Dana's shoulders, pulling himself onto his feet. He held onto her collar, and she walked dutifully beside it towards Sam, Dean following the two.

"Your dog's really nice." The boy said nervously, craning his neck to look up at Sam who slowly bent his knees to look the boy in the eye, still holding on to Dana's collar.

"My dog?" Sam placed a hand on his chest, giving the boy a kind smile.

"I'm sorry my mom took your dog." the child muttered, pouting.

"It's fine. Did you have fun with her?" Sam smiled brightly.

The child nodded quickly, smiling.

"Look." Sam reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a hand-sized red ball.

"You wanna throw this for her? She'd love it if you did." he grinned holding the ball out to the boy. He immediately let go of Dana's collar, grabbing the ball out of Sam's loose hand.

He chucked it, and it hit the ground almost immediately, thankfully it bounced a few times as Dana began sprinting, catching it while it was in the air.

"Dana, bring it to the boy." Dean commanded with a soft voice.

"Daniel." the turned around to give Dean a pouty glare, which made Sam laugh.

"Dana, give the ball to Daniel." Dean muttered amused.

They didn't even need to say it as she trotted back to the boy almost immediately.

The boy held out a flat, open palm all fingers spread. She placed the ball in his palm perfectly, but it rolled off. Both brothers gasped when they saw Dana's jaw open so wide it almost unhinged as she caught the ball just before it hit the ground. The child only chortled with amusement, shoulders shaking with his laughs, relieving the Winchesters when he simply took the ball out of her mouth.

"Hey, Daniel." Sam said just as he was about to throw it again.

"Hmmm?" The child hummed questioningly as he threw the ball once more.

"You can keep the ball, but we'd like to take Dana home now. The… shelter is a really scary place, you get that, right?" Sam looked at the boy as he turned to look at him.

The child nodded sadly. "Keep the ball, I'm sure your mom will get you your own dog, and then you can play with it. And it'll grow up with you. Like Dana grew up with us." Sam looked up at Dean when he lied through his teeth.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam knew from the sound of the keys landing on the table of the motel room that it was best to be quiet now. Dana clearly knew it too, as s he trotted into the hotel room last, slowly, head low. "Dean, it's not her fault." Sam muttered as he shut the door behind Dana.

"Yeah it is!" Dean turned to his brother, face nearly red as he raised his voice. Immediately Dana whined, and barked quietly, like she'd just been kicked. Sam instinctively put his hand on her head as she sat by his side, though never stopped looking at Dean.

"You didn't see that?! She wanted to stay with that family!" Dean pointed at the dog by Sam's side with an open palm. "D'you forget? She's _not_ a dog, Sammy! And she can't talk either, so for all we know she wanted to stay there so she could turn them!" Dean ran a hand through his hair frustratedly as he turned to his bed and the bag on top of it.

"I doubt it." Sam crossed his arms, speaking confidently as he let go of Dana's head.

"There were so many people trying to catch her, Dean. And she never even opened her mouth." Dean slowly turned back around as Sam talked, shrugging his shoulders as he gave Dean a challenging look, to give him a better argument.

"You know, that's _always_ your argument? 'It's not a dog'. I never forgot that." Sam shook his head knowingly. Dean was at least just as attached to Dana as he was, and he knew it well. He was sure Dean thought Sam never noticed the little exchanges between him and Dana, the smile on Dean's face when she was near him. "We've met 'monsters' before that we didn't kill. Hell, we worked with them! And we knew those less than we know her. So what's the damn problem now, Dean?!" Sam continued defending Dana. It wasn't even his attachment to her that made him defend her like this, Dean was simply being unfair and illogical.

"Well. I still think we should give her to Bobby." Dean shrugged coldly.

"What?" Sam frowned in surprise and confusion. "Why?"

"Bobby's had a dog before." Dean replied offhandedly as he sat down on the bed, his voice calm and cool now.

"No, you don't want to give her to Bobby." Sam let out a breathy and bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "You're hurt. It hurt you to see her even think about staying there." Sam accused, shaking his head.

"Oh please." Dean barked over his shoulder.

Sam looked down at Dana, a brow arched, the hint of a smile on his lips. Her tail swished from side to side for just a moment as she straightened her neck to look up at him, and lick the side of his jeans once.

"I'm gonna take her for a walk." Sam shrugged, giving Dana a pat on the head.

"Keep her on a damn leash." Dean grunted just as Sam reached for the leash on the hook by the door. He looked down at her with an amused shake of his head before opening the door for her.

She immediately sat down on the other side of the door, as she always did, waiting for Sam to leash her.

"Give him some time." Sam mumbled, rubbing a hand up and down her back as he hooked the leash to her collar.

Sam loved walking with Dana, whether it was with or without a leash, it really depended on where they were. It made everything feel more homely, any place, any action. She made everything calmer, everything feel less tense. Sometimes she even made the damn hunting life feel normal. Sam never forgot though, she wasn't a dog. But something made him understand that she was slowly seeing herself as one.

"Oh my god! That's a beautiful dog!" across the suburban road, was a young girl with her mother by her side, a heavy looking backpack on her back, holding the straps with her hands. Dana immediately paused, tail wagging as she looked up at Sam.

"You can pet her." Sam nodded kindly. Like Dana had, the young girl looked up at her mother, who nodded, giving Sam a smile as well. The mother was young, the girl around at least ten years of age. She looked both ways as she crossed the street with her mother following. The contents of her backpack made noise as she jogged across the street, eyes on Dana. Dana sat down, tail swishing from side to side excitedly, forepaws fidgety as she waited to the girl to reach her.

"She loves children." Sam calmed the mother's widened eyes as the girl bent her knees to take Dana's head in her hands, rubbing it quickly. He had no doubt by now that he was speaking the truth when Dana licked over the girl's face and she squealed.

"What's its name?" She looked up at Sam with wide excited eyes.

"It's Dana." Sam smiled down at her.

"How old is she?" she asked as Dana lifted her left paw continuously, the girl finally putting up a flaw palm to catch, and shake it.

"Uh… four?" Sam gave her a crooked smile. He guessed skinwalkers had a human life-span.

"You're such a pretty lady…" the girl cooed and Sam saw the mother smile fondly from the corner of his eyes.

"Her dad's allergic…" the mother turned to Sam with a small smile. Sam nodded understandingly.

"She can walk without leash, y'know. Just stays right next to you, but my brother… he's afraid of losing her, y'know." Sam looked down at the girl.

"I knew German Shepherds were smart." she grinned at Dana and Sam thought he'd only ever seen her so excited when he or Dean came back from a hunt.

"Can she do any tricks?" she looked at Sam expectantly, glancing at her mother to make sure her time hadn't already run out.

"Oh anything you can think of." Sam grinned at the girl before looking at the mother. "Is it okay if I…" he pointed at a leash. The mother nodded with closed eyes. He wasn't asking if the mother felt it was safe enough, he was asking if they had enough time to stay. Sam leaned down and unclasped the leash from her collar, noticing it was significantly less pink, dirty, and worn.

"Can I walk with her? Just a little?" the girl stood up straight, noticing Dana remained sitting obediently even without a leash.

"No farther than that red car over there!" The mother said quickly when Sam nodded reassuringly at the girl.

"C'mon, Dana!" the girl patted the side of her thigh.

Sam watched as Dana stayed by her side, never ceasing to look up at the girl as she walked by her side. When the girl turned around she started running, holding onto the straps of her backpack once more.

"She's wanted a dog for so long…." The woman standing beside Sam muttered, looking at her daughter and Dana with a fond smile.

"Well there's actually a few breeds that are hypoallergenic." Sam replied. He'd learned more than enough, taking care of friends' dogs, and of course researching Dana.

"Is she any good for protecting?" The woman looked at the dog running by her daughter's side curiously.

"Oh you have no idea. She's saved my brother and I's lives. On two separate occasions." Sam nodded, smiling.

"I can imagine… dog like that on your lawn. You won't even need a sign." she chuckled, nodding exaggeratedly.

That night, for the first time in many, Dana had to sleep outside. In front of the door on the second story of the motel.


	13. The original Idea, Notes, Development

_I just wrote this after feeling. There are no big ideas, no notes, or development process._  
 _I do have something though, the ending I wrote before I even finished chapter two. So, there's that?_

* * *

"Ugh, disgusting." Dean groaned, holding his sleeve over his mouth and nose.

"I count uh… five… and a half." Sam did the same, sighing as he looked around the clearing.

There were six bodies total, holes in their chest. And there was a torso, head and arms, leaned against a tree. It was a woman, the only woman. She had brown hair, her head slumped down, chin on her chest. Her hands laid beside her, palms up, dirty and bloody.

"Well… I mean we know what did this." Dean turned to Sam.

"But why, why so many, why now. I bet my ass we're not gonna find anything like this that's happened in this town before. Not to a single person." he continued.

"Let's get out of here, before the cops arrive." Sam grabbed Dean's arm for a second, and they both turned around. But Sam had seen something Dean didn't, something he didn't want Dean to see.

A pink collar, hanging loose around the girl's neck, barely pink, but red and brown, though recognizable.


End file.
